Entries from September 2012

Last month, history’s most significant space launch took place. Or, at least it was the most significant to one little boy.

The launch wasn’t an exploration of Mars. It wasn’t a mission to the International Space Station. And it wasn’t the trial run of some new rocket. Instead, it was a father son project to send the son’s favorite toy — a wooden Stanley locomotive from the Thomas & Friends television series — into outer space.

The father, Ron Fugelseth, works as a producer in Santa Cruz, California and had previously made a video of his son’s extreme attachment to his toy Stanley. So it seemed natural to document Stanley’s space voyage too.

Check out the YouTube video story of the father who sent his son’s favorite toy train to space below.

Most American adults who are of a certain age today remember playing Twister when they were children. Spot Cool Stuff isn’t sure how international Twister is†, nor how common it is for kids these day to play. But if Twister were ever to exceed its past popularity it might be in the form of this huge Twister board.

Officially called the Inflatable Outdoor Color Dot Game, presumably to avoid copyright claim from Hasbro Games, this bouncy 15 foot by 15 foot (4.5m by 4.5m) playing area can accommodate up to 10 twisting participants. That would make for 40 hands and feet stretching, clawing their way onto one of 64 colored dots. Sounds rather chaotic. And lots of fun.

Spot Cool Stuff previously reviewed the cool, luxurious and eco-friendly Adrere Amellal resort in Egypt; we described being there as like living on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker’s desertic home planet in Star Wars.

Further to the west, in Matmata, Tunisia, there’s a desert lodge that isn’t like Tatooine. It is Tatooine1. That lodge, the Sidi Driss Hotel, served as the filming location for several scenes in Star Wars.

Amazon announced recently that a variety of EPIX movies and NBC Universal television shows will now be available to those with Amazon Prime to watch via Amazon’s instant streaming service.

Spot Cool Stuff has long been a huge fan of Amazon’s Prime program. Members get free 2-day shipping on any item sold by Amazon†, no matter if it’s a $3.99 iPhone case or an 890 pound professional jointer. The shipping savings alone can easily make up the $79 yearly Prime membership fee.